Special Exposure Wednesday

This is a picture of my little princess last 4th of July I love those big eyes she is nana and papa baby for sure

O is for Onion Blossom recipe

The letter of the day over at ABC Wednesday is .........

the letter O as in O is for Onion Blossom

2 large sweet onions, unpeeled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chili powder
2-1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, divided
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
Oil for deep-fat frying
Directions
Leaving the root end intact, peel the outer skin of the onion. Cut a small slice off the top. Starting at the top of the onion and on one side, make a cut downward toward the root end, stopping 1/2 in. from the bottom. Make additional cuts 1/8 in. from the first until there are cuts completely across top of onion.
Turn the onion a quarter turn so the slices are horizontal to you. Repeat the cuts 1/8 in. apart from each other until there is a checkerboard pattern across entire top of onion.
In a small bowl, make dip by combining the mayonnaise, sour cream, chili powder and 1-1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning; set aside.
In a 1-gal. plastic bag, combine flour and remaining Cajun seasoning. Place milk in a small deep bowl. Coat the cut onion in flour, then dip into milk and back into the flour mixture.
Fry in enough oil to cover onion at 375° for 5 minutes or until golden, turning once. Remove from oil; place on serving plate. Discard the very center of the fried onion blossom. Place a few spoonful of dip in the center of blossom and serve immediately.

Tropicana Juicy Rewards

Have you been using your Juicy Reward points or saving them up for something special? Well here are a few great ideas to use your points on.

Want to do a bit of home improvement? I normally do this while the weather is nice so that the windows can be open to remove fumes and dust. Right now you can use your reward points in exchange of 10% off of Harbor Freight.

Want a delicious snack? Use your Tropicana reward points to get a great coupon for buy one Baskin Robin treat and get the second of equal or less value free.

Enter the adidas complete high tech workout package that includes one adidas miCoach Pacer , One adidas Heart Rate Monitor AND one miCoach Stride Sensor This package is like having a personal trainer.

"I wrote this review while participating in the Tropicana Juicy Insiders Ambassador program by Mom Central on behalf of Tropicana. I received 12 free Juicy Rewards points and a $50 Visa gift card to use in redemption of the points and to facilitate my review

Hamburger Dip

This is a recipe my kids love to eat with doritos. Easy to make and perfect for a busy day

Hamburger Dip

2 pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons dry minced onion
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 (10 ounce) can tomatoes and green chilies
1/2 cup chili sauce
1 (32 ounce) box Mexican processed cheese, cubed

In large skillet brown ground beef, drain and transfer to 4 or 5 quart slow cooker sprayed with vegetable cooking spray. Add remaining ingredients plus 1/2 to 1 cup water and stir well. Cover and cook on LOW for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir once during cooking time. Add a little salt if desired. Serve hot with chips or spread on crackers

Candy Bar Pie


3 (2.07-oz.) chocolate-coated caramel-peanut nougat bars
1 baked Pretzel Crust
1 1/2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/4 cup coarsely chopped, lightly salted peanuts

Preheat oven to 325°. Cut candy bars into 1/4-inch pieces; arrange over bottom of crust. Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add sour cream and peanut butter, beating at low speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Spoon cream cheese mixture over candy on crust. Bake at 325° for 35 to 40 minutes or until set. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool 1 hour or until completely cool. Cover and chill 2 hours. Microwave chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH for 30 seconds or until melted and smooth, stirring at 15-second intervals. Drizzle over top of cooled pie, and sprinkle evenly with peanuts.
Source: My Recipes

Parmesan Meatloaf

Combine 1½ pounds ground beef, 1 large egg, 1 grated onion, ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, ½ cup bread crumbs, ½ cup grated Parmesan, and ¼ cup tomato paste; season with salt and pepper. On a foil-lined baking sheet, form the mixture into an 8-inch loaf. Bake at 400° F until cooked through, 40 to 50 minutes.

source - real simple

Road Trip Frugal Tips

Have you been thinking about starting a family money management system that will work with your family? With the economy being sad everyone needs a bit of guideline to make things work in their own world. Many families see saving money is to sacrafice other things and while that may be true there is more to it as well. Many think that this will be the year that they will not be able to take that vacation they wait all year for but watching what you are doing and making wise decisions will allow you to make the most out of your time and money. Here are a few road trip tips for you:

• Saving money at hotels can be done a couple of different ways (1) invest in a AAA membership to get discounts on some of your rooms as well (2) look for a frugal lodging option custom made for a large group or (3) use a internet based saving tool to take advantage of great deals


• camping will save you on hotel expense and provides family opportunities not other wise available. To find camping gear check out Ebay, Freecycle or Craig's List.


• Food expense is one of the worst when traveling at least for our family. There are coupons that are often available to use this could save you money. Get a hotel room with a dinette where you can fix a bit to eat in the room, many hotel rooms have small mini fridges perfect to keep snacks for the trip. Grocery shopping along the way and preparing your own meals may be the perfect way to go


• Souvenirs and presents can mount up easily as well. Rather take pictures in front of scenes that capture the name of the place, the area you were in or the date it took place. Souvenirs can be found in many different places often buying a drink will give you a souvenir to keep and rest your thirst as well. Keep your eyes open for great souvenirs that will help you remember your trip but cut down on cost.


• Gas is an expense that can not easily be cut out when on a road trip however there are things that you can do to make the most out of your money. Here is an article that shares these tips

I hope these tips will help you enjoy a road trip with your family and allow you to save some money along the way.

Sweet Friends

Here is a picture of a couple of great friends. They attend church with us, drive their mommy (one of my best friends) a bit crazy and love to play sports. The one standing up is a wonderful softball player and the one sitting down is a discus thrower in track who does quite well. These girls are great friends of my children and will be heading to Canada on their mission trip with my son.

Snacks that May Help Lower Cholesterol

I am not sure about you but some of my mommy habits have to do with snacks. I am learning though that the bag of chips I may of snacked on when I was younger is not my snack of choice now. I have been trying my best to find healthier snacks. Thanks to the website everyday health I now have some options of snacks that may help lower my cholesterol as well. These snacks included:

• nuts and seeds
• apples
• oat bran
• grapefruit

Memories of Last Prom Season

It seems in this house with six (6) teens prom has a season of its own. With teens you often see seasons change with sports, events and yes Prom has a season of its own as well. Last Prom my daughter was able to come home for a visit and bring their little bundle of Joy. This year they will not be here we will miss them but my sis in law and love will be here to help out. We have two proms and three prom goers this year. Time will be short and special and I will be helping in the Prom for our home town. I will be chaperoning After Prom as well as helping out in other areas. I will be posting new Prom pictures next week and the week after as I said there are two different proms. Here are some pictures of last year to give you a taste of what I am talking about.

here are my two as they are waiting for their dates
Big sis helping little sis with her makeup

lil sis letting us know she is feeling good

this is my boy I think he looks good in black this year he opted to wear white


I shared these on Wednesday's Walk hosted by the goodwin family

Pediped Giveaway

Just in time for spring Pediped's Flex are now available in washables. The great shoes that we have fallen in love with are now easy to wash. Pediped footwear started in 2004 by Angela and Brian Edgeworth. The Edgeworth were looking for the perfect soft soled shoe for their own daughter when they realized all they wanted in a shoe. Exceptional quality, unsurpassed comfort and distinctive styling are what they pack into their own Pediped shoes. These characteristics is what helped made the Pediped shoes award winners. Pediped footwear is growing rapidly and is now sold in over 3000 stores in the U.S. and 40 countries worldwide. There are more than 120 designs available for both boys and girls with two lines originals and Flex.

The originals are soft soled shoes for newborns to age 2+ and Flex are rubber soled shoes for children 1 to 5 years of age. Shoes are not the only things that are sold by Pediped. Also available is a range of accessories including tights and socks and coordinating hair clips.

Buy: you can purchase girls or boys shoes in the originals or flex as well as all the great accessories from the Pediped website here

Win: one of Annies Home readers will be able to win a pair of the Pediped originals in either girl or boys.

Enter Contest by visiting the pediped website and let me know which pair of Pediped you would want if you were the lucky winner

Extra Entries:

• follow my blog
• follow pediped on twitter
• fan pediped on facebook
• follow my blog on twitter
• tweet the giveaway @shopannies @pedipedfootwear (1 entry per tweet) link in comment
• blog about the giveaway linking to my blog and pediped footwear (10 entries) link in comment

Giveaway starts now and will run through May 18, 2010. Good Luck email must be in comment or on blog or it will not count

Tickle Me Plant Giveaway

Have you started a garden? Do you have your child help you? Would you like to teach your children more about plants? Well the Tickle Me Plant could be just what you are looking for. The Tickle Me Plant goes to sleep at night and wakes up during the day time. The scientific part of your child will come awake as well as they watch their Tickle Me Plant grow.

Buy: you can buy a tickle me plant and other great products that accompany the Tickle Me Plant at their website here

Win: one lucky Annies Home reader will win a set of six tickle me plants.

Enter the contest by visiting the Tickle Me Plant website and let me know something that I did not share with you

Extra Entries:

• follow my blog
• subscribe to my blog
• follow my blog on twitter
• tweet about the giveaway (1 entry per tweet: 1 tweet allowed every hour) link in comment
• blog about the giveaway (5 entries) link in comment

Giveaway ends May 17, 2010. Good Luck to all you can only win if email is on your blog or in comment

Prom Cupcakes

Prom Season is here again and we have been very busy getting the dress the tux, the flowers, and everything else. I thought it would be fun to share some great cupcakes dedicated to Prom.

Heavenly Hash a microwave dessert

Heavenly Hash

12 oz. bag chocolate chips
1 can eagle brand milk
2 1/2 c mini mallows
1 c pecans, chopped

Melt first 2 in glass bowl in microwave Cook one minute at a time Stir, heat til melted. Mix well and add mini mallows and nuts Spread into an 8x8 buttered pan Let it set for several hours. Chill

Grandma Daisy's Shoe Peg Salad

There was a lady in our town that had the name of Marietta Briddick. Marietta grew the reputation of cooking delicious food in a local diner. This recipe came from a collection of hers that she created from recipes she used over the year. Grandma Daisy was her grandmother who taught her to cook.

Grandma Daisy's Shoe Peg Salad

1 can white shoe peg corn, drained

1 can peas, drained

1 can french cut green beans, drained

1 (4 oz.) jar chopped pimentos, drained

1 c green pepper, chopped

1 c celery, chopped

1 c onion, chopped

Dressing:

1/2 c cider vinegar

1 T water

1/4 c oil

1/2 t salt

3/4 c sugar

1/4 t paprika

dash of pepper

Mix drained vegies together, mix in chopped pimentos, green pepper, onion and celery MIx well and set aside Mix all ingredients for the dressing and bring to a boil and let cool Pour over vegetable mix Mix well Chill for at least 6 hours before serving Will keep well for 2 weeks

Lipton California Bacon Dip

Lipton California Bacon Dip

I found this recipe in a book Lipton put out in 1987. I hope you enjoy. I think this would be a great recipe for any upcoming family event, graduation, or grill out.




In small bowl mix 1 envelope Lipton Onion Recipe soup mix with 1 pint sour cream and 1/3 c bacon bits. Chill

Serving Tip: serve in a hollowed head of lettuce or cabbage arrange on a wicker tray with veggies sorrounding

Keep Your Spirits Up Giveaway

You have never had a candle feel as good as a Scandle candle can make you fell. That is the slogan of the Scandle candle and after being able to try it for myself I agree. Calming, romantic, and yes it felt wonderful. A Scandle Candle takes the great body massage oil and fragrant spa candle and puts them together in a combination known as Scandle. The company estimates that 10 body massages can be gained from one Scandle candle and can burn for 30 hours or longer. In addition the Scandle Candle is not only great for you and your body but also the earth. It is made with a cotton wick with no zinc included, contains no paraffin, is free of UV inhibitors and uses all natural ingredients.

Buy: you can purchase any of the great Scandle products from their website here


EBoost is a mixture of special vitamins and minerals that help activate energy, immunity, recover, and focus. EBoost is a daily health suplement that helps you to be your best. EBoost comes in powder or tablet form. We received powder form and it mixed up quite well without any real residue left behind. The taste was a bit sour at first but had no trouble getting it down.


Buy: you can order the variety of powders or pills directly from the EBoost website.

Win: one of Annies Home readers will win a Scandle Candle free.

To enter giveaway you must visit the Scandle Candle website and let me know something that I did not share with you in this review.

Extra Entries:

• follow my blog
• subscribe to the Scandle Candle website
• tell me something you do to relax this time of year
• visit the EBoost website and let me know something that I did not share with you
• tweet about the giveaway (1 entry per tweet) link in comment
• comment on any other post on this blog (1 entry per comment) let me know which one in comment

Giveaway ends May 6, 2010. You can not win if I can not reach you email must be in comment or on blog

Free Caress Silky Fragrance Infusion

Get your free sample of Caress Silky Fragrance Infusion here

source: Savin Some

Me and My Gal

This is a picture of me and my daughter last prom season. This weekend will see two of them going to prom and next weekend will see two of them going to another prom.

Give Me Cake Smile

This is my niece and one of her cutest smiles. She is adorable in this picture and just look at the super smile

Pasta and Vegetable Sauce (vegetarian recipe)

hosted by the blog hey what's for dinner mom

Pasta and vegetable Sauce

3 T olive oil

1 onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

3 red bell peppers, seeded and cut in strips

3 zucchini, sliced

14 oz tomatoes

3 T sun dried tomato paste

2 T chopped fresh basil

8 oz pasta spirals

1 c swiss cheese

salt and pepper



Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan or casserole Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring til soft Add the bell peppers and zucchini and then cook for 5 minutes stir occasionally Add the tomatoes, un dried tomato paste basil and seasoning cover and cook 5 minutes Bring large pot salt water to boil Lower heat slightly and cook, uncovered 3 minutes or til just tender Drain and add to the vegies Toss to mix. Put mix into a shallow casserole dish and sprinkle with cheese Cook under broiler 5 minutes til cheese is golden Garnish with basil sprigs and serve.



source: practical vegetarian pasta cookbook dated 2002

Information on Whole Grain

Homemaker Mondays hosted b the blog 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven

More and more attention is being placed on whole grain products as the attention towards a healthy diet comes into the spotlight. We have all grown up with whole grains but if you are like me you may not know as much about them as you may want to. So I thought I would share a bit of information with you. Here are some ideas of how to get whole grain into your diet easily.

With that in mind lets turn our attention to a few of the different types of whole grain:

• 
  
  
  Brown Rice: easy to use and cook. Brown rice can be easily found on the store shelf.
  Heavenly Chicken Casserole
  
  1 cup celery, diced
  1/2 cup onion, diced
  2 cups cooked brown rice
  2 cups vegetarian chicken substitute, diced
  1 (10 1/2 ounce) can mushroom soup
  1 (14 ounce) can mushrooms
  1/3 cup soymilk
  1/2 cup soy mayonnaise (I use Vegenaise. A friend of mine uses sour cream instead and of course it tastes great that way too)
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  paprika, for topping
  sliced almonds, for topping
  
  Saute celery and onion in a very small amount of oil or water.
  2Put into mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients, mixing well.
  3Sprinkle top with paprika and sliced almonds.
  4Put in oiled casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees F about 45 minutes. (The 1 1/2 passive work time listed includes the time to cook the two cups of brown rice ahead).

source here

• 
  
  
  Millet which can be easily hidden and mixed into your families favorite dishes like mac and cheese. Millet can be used as an alternative to rice as well



• 
  
  
  Barley was once thought to be only for soups and to me was first known as an early cereal we feed our infants actually has many great uses. You can find mor information on Barley here at Baley Foods.org and actually shares many wonderful tips and recipes



• 
  
  
  Farro is for all of you who need a gluten free diet but would love to include whole grain as well. While not gluten free it is lower in gluten than other whole grains. Here is a recipe for savory Farro Tart found you may want to try



• 
  
  
  Buckwheat is a whole grain that Racheal Raye suggest toasting before using to bring out the best taste. One of the earliest whole grains dating back to colonial days.

I hope that this gives you a better idea of whole grains and their uses.

Mothers Day Contest sponsored by Care.com

Care.com is hosting a Mothers Day event where one lucky person will win a spa weekend. This is a facebook contest where care.com wants you to submit your pictures and videos and have others vote on them. Simply visit here for more great information concerning this giveaway that will run from 4/26 to 5/9 for submissions and voting will be from 5/10 through 5/16 and the winner will be announced 5/17. Good Luck

Tips to make bedtime a bit easier

Bedtime is one of those times that can get very frustrating as a parent. I found some great tips on Parenting online and thought I would share and include my own personal tips:

• watch food and drink consumption = one of our weakest areas but one we soon learned to conquer closing the kitchen at 6:30 serving supper at 5 p.m allowed our children plenty of time for their stomach to rest before their bedtime at 7:30 when they were younger. one tip the article shared was that no caffeine 6 hours before bedtime
• Peace & Quiet = we made the hour before bedtime quiet time which helped them to be ready to go to their rooms
• Give Advance Notice = we do this for lots of things, bedtime, computer, play time, meal time etc... Advance notices of when things will be and when things end seems to really help in our house
• Establish a Night Time Routine = my children always had a bedtime ritual of what they would do showers, quiet time, bedtime was always a scheduled time. Now my daughter does this with our little Princess.

I am in hopes that these bedtime tips and how we carried them out will help parents that are frustrated and struggling. Bedtime can be a frustrating time but with careful guidelines and rituals can become a special time as well

Butter Pie

hosted by the blog A Southern Fairy Tale

Butter Pie

found in a home town cookbook the recipe was first shared in 1890. This delicous recipe is one that can easily be made and with ingredients that we often have on hand

1 1/2 c sugar

2/3 t cinnamon

1 1/2 c milk, use 1 small can of milnot mix in enough regular milk to make 1 1/2 cups

1/3 c + 2 level T flour

1/2 stick margarine

9 inch unbaked pie shell

Mix sugar, flour, milk and cinnamon Mix Pour into unbaked pie shell dot with butter over top of pie Bake at 450 degrees 15 minutes reduce heat to 325 bake for 30 minutes

Free Sample Dr. Scholls high heel insoles

After hours of wearing high heels whether for work or an event my feet often get to hurting and the shoes come off and you may find me going around barefoot Now there is relief for shoes in high heels and in comes in the form of Dr. Schools high heel insoles. You can visit here to get a free sample for yourself from Walmart.

source found on: A Frugal Friend

Giveaways for those planning Field Trips

I love this I have two great products that are perfect for those planning field trips. One has been here before and are very important if you have a small child. The Safety Tat allow you to safely tattoo important information on your child that they may need if they become lost. Because the safety Tats are temporary they easily come off after the trip is over. To loose a child in a crowd is very scary for any adult that is involved and when that child shows back up the relief one feels is a feeling that compares to none. That is why you should take Safety Tats anywhere that your child may become lost in a crowd or stray off.

buy: you can purchase the safety tat various products off their website here

The second wonderful product is one that would be fun to find in a sack lunch but in reality could be used in many different places. The lunch punch is a food cutter designed to create the largest shape when cutting shape into a sandwich. The Lunch Punch is thicker than a cookie cutter and makes it easier to make deep cuts into sandwiches. The Lunch Punch is BPA FREE, Phthalate Free, PVC free and lead free. It's made from FDA certified food grade plastic and both the lunch punch and the packaging it arrives in are recyclable.

I can remember my mother attempting to make lunch fun for us using different cutters to create cute cheese pieces, slicing sandwiches in shapes and just making lunch super fun. The creator of the Lunch Punch is also a mother who wanted to make lunch fun for her children. The lunch punch cuts the crust off the sandwich while creating fun shapes that children will love to eat. Lunch Punch cares for the child eating the sandwich, the earth by making the packaging and cutter recyclable as well as gives to the clown doctors that care for the whole child.

Buy: you can purchase the lunch punch set of your choice by visiting this link

Win: one of Annie's Home readers will win a set of the safety tats and their choice of the lunch punch sets.

Enter to win:
To win you must visit the Lunch Punch website and the Safety Tat website and let me know something you learned on both sites. This should be two comments and two different answers.

Extra Entries:

• follow my blog
• subscribe to my blog
• tell me a favorite story about a field trip you took as a child or one you took with your family
• follow my blog on twitter
• tweet about the giveaway (1 entry per tweet)
• blog about the giveaway (5 entries)

Giveaway starts now and ends May 9, 2010. Good luck and make sure email is in comment or on blog or you can not win

Ava The Elephant review

I first saw Ava the Elephant when I was watching a show called the Shark Tales. I remember seeing the Ava The Elephant and having flashbacks to when my children were younger. You see Ava the Elephant is not a toy but a tool that can help you get your child to take their medication. I had some sickly children when they were young and getting medicine into them was often a battle in itself. So a young run down mother who is taking care of a sick child and having to battle each time it came medicine time grows old fast. I love the Ava the Elephant because it helps to divert the child's attention and the medicine is easier to give.

Ava the Elephant is the brain child of a special person by the name of Tiffany. Tiffany worked for many years caring for children with special needs as well as childhood cancer patients. She realized there was a need for an item to make giving children medicine a bit more fun. As fate would have it Tiffany herself was diagnosed with cancer only three months after appearing on Shark Tank. She realized that the medicine itself could be flavored to not taste so bad but it was the part of taking it that was the scary part. So she created Ava the Elephant to make the process of taking medicine more friendly.

Ava the Elephant works by filling the included medicine dropper with the prescribed dosage of liquid medicine. Then insert the dropper back into Ava When you press the button Ava will say "One, Two, Three .... Open Wide! Good Job!" At this time you insert the trunk into the mouth and dispense the medicine. Ava the Elephant can be used with any liquid medicine or liquid vitamin. Ava The Elephant is BPA free.


Here is a video of Ava The Elephant in action:



Buy: you can purchase the Ava The Elephant directly from their webpage here for $9.99

Cookie Baking Tips

School will soon be out and afternoon snacks will be what hungry kids and adults alike will be craving Here are a few tips to make delicious cookies:

• Make the right choice when it comes to baking sheets. Shiny, heavy aluminum foil is what you are looking for if you want the perfect cookie. The cookie sheets with no sides are perfect to easily slide cookies onto a cooling racks and makes it easier while baking cookies. Dark cookie sheets absorb heat more often and cause cookies to brown too much on the bottom, non stick baking sheets that are not too dark work well, insulated baking sheets often take a bit longer to bake.
• Knowing how to grease baking sheets helps to improve cooking baking as well. Best choices for this are cooking spray or solid shortening. Tub butter or margarine products labeled as spread should not be used to grease baking sheets. Likewise, reduced calorie and liquid spreads should be avoided as well.
• Parchment paper can be used rather than greasing the baking sheet. Using parchment paper helps to ensure even baking
• Cooking one sheet of cookies at a time in the middle of the oven on the middle rack If this is not possible and you need to bake more than one at a time then rotate the sheets from the top rack to the bottom rack halfway through baking to encourage even browning
• check at the baking time and then watch for over doneness. In between batches cool baking sheet and wipe with paper towel before reusing
• Run out of baking racks? Place sheet of wax paper on counter and sprinkle with sugar cookies will cool without getting soggy

I hope these tips help you make scrumptious cookies for all to enjoy